


The Twisted Roads of Fates Design

by brucebannerfangirl



Category: Fargo (2014)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alpha Lorne, Alpha Pearl, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Assassins & Hitmen, Beating, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Murder, Omega Lester, Omegaverse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:03:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1926021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brucebannerfangirl/pseuds/brucebannerfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fate has paved a dark and blood covered road for the Omega, Lester Nygaard.</p>
<p>**Please note that this fic is currently being reworked and at certain points the older chapters may no longer line up cleanly with the new revised ones. I apologize in advance for any confusion this may cause but it shouldn't take too long for me to have the whole thing redone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Domestic Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lester's life is going to start to take some dramatic turns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter edited: 7 - 17 - 2016
> 
> Chapter warning(s): bullying, physical abuse

“The laundry’s piling up again.” Pearl commented as she ate the lunch Lester had lovingly prepared for her. 

  


“Oh, well I’ve been a bit busy with work.” Lester answered quietly as he meekly made eye contact with her. “Maybe you could do a few-” 

  


Pearl interrupted him, her tone bitter. “That’s not my job, Hon. I told you, Lester, I told you when you begged me to let you start working again that I wouldn’t do house chores; that’s Omega stuff.” She gave him a pointed look before adding, “If you can't handle working and the house chores then maybe you should just quit.” 

  


Lester clenched his fits under the table; he hated when Pearl pulled the Omega card. It was true he was an Omega, but it didn't mean that he had to conform to the stereotype of one. He knew Pearl knew how that blasted machine worked, it wouldn’t kill her to wash a few shirts. “I know, it’s just Lou needs a new closer at the diner since Dianna took some time off so I get home late and I’m tired afterward.” 

  


His wife gave him a disgruntled look; he should have just kept his mouth shut. “You don’t think I’m not tired after work?” She snipped. 

 

“That’s not what-” Lester tried to defend himself but to no avail. 

 

“I don’t have the leisure to gossip and fill coffee cups all day, Les. I have a real job; a job that puts a roof over our heads, yours hardly covers the groceries.” 

  


Lester's lips went tight, he opened his mouth to say something but he decided against it least he worsen the situation for himself further. “I’m sorry Pearl.” He murmured, giving into Pearl's domineering personality. It was just so much easier that way. “I’ll do some laundry when I get home tonight.” 

 

“Good.” She said with a pleased tone, knowing she'd won the argument; she always did.

 

When Lester got into work that evening, he explained to Lou that he couldn’t close that night because he was to take care of a few things at home. Thankfully, Lou was an understanding man; heck, everyone knew just from seeing Lester and Pearl together what their relationship was like. So that night, after the dinner rush cleared out Lester said his good-bye's, he hurried to his car to get home and get the laundry caught up to please his increasingly overbearing wife.

  


However, as Lester drove home that evening, a rather large truck trailed behind him. The truck was riding so close to the back of his car Lester was practically forced to pull the side of the road just to let the car pass least an accident occurred. As he slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder, the large truck did the same. “Oh for the love of-” Lester pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and took a deep breath to steady himself. He made sure the doors were locked as he sat staring in his rear view at the other car, waiting for whoever they were to get out and confront him about whatever they felt the need to tail him for. 

  


The truck's driver made a move to exit the car and after a long and silent eight minutes passed, Lester had decided he’d had enough and got out of his car, slamming the door shut in agitation. “What do you want?” the Omega barked beside his car. 

  


Suddenly two doors, the driver and rear passenger’s door opened and three people, two boys and their father, got out of the truck. “Well, I’ll be.” The older man, clearly an Alpha, mused. 

 

Upon seeing the identity of the mysterious driver, Lester’s insides froze; Sam Hess. Lester silently cursed, he thought he’d gotten rid of Hess after their graduation. However, now the bulky Alpha approached him, giving off the same self-important air he had in high school.

  


“Who’s that dad?” one of the boys asked, looking between Lester and their father. The other boy was silent and scowled at the smaller man, clearly annoyed about the current situation. Lester could sympathize. 

  


“This here is Lester Nygaard. We went to school together.” The Alpha put an arm around Lester and the Omega instantly grew rigid. “How have you been Les?” He asked with a predatory gleam to his eyes.

  


“Fine,” Lester murmured as he looked at his boots rather than at the bodies crowding around him. “Why were you following me?” he asked after finding enough courage to glance up at the towering Alpha. He managed to shuffle a few inches away from Sam as he crossed his arms over his chest; a clear display of discomfort.

  


“Well, me and my boys were are the gas station and I thought it was you I seen walkin’ outta the diner.” Sam answered. Noticing Lester's vexation, he just laughed and leaned against the driver's door as a retort. “Man, it’s been a good few years since we seen each other, ain't it Lester? I think the last time I saw ya was at graduation actually.” He laughed, and added “Hey, what was that girl you went out with in high school?” 

  


Lester had a horrible feeling he was going to get a story he didn’t want to hear. “Pearl,” he answered tightly. 

  


“Yeah, Pearl.” He said reminiscently. “Ya’ know we actually made a bet, me and her. I said if she lasted senior year with you I’d give her a hundred bucks!” The Alpha laughed hardheartedly, smacking the smaller man's shoulder.

  


Lester let out a softer, halfhearted laugh as he nodded. “Yeah, we’re married now.” He said in a blunt and edgy tone. Pearl had told him about the bet shortly after they graduated, she said she felt really guilty about the whole thing after she’d gotten to know him. Ultimately Lester forgave her, having fallen head over heels for her in that short school year they spent together. The look on Sam’s face was of surprise, and it made Lester a bit happy to see it. 

  


“Is that so?” Sam questioned, perking an eyebrow in disbelief.

  


“Oh, yah, eighteen years now.” Unhappily went unsaid. 

  


Abruptly, one of the boys interjected, “Is he an Omega, Dad?” The boy's questioned perked the others interest and they stair at Lester more intently, their nostrils flaring as they tried to pick up the scent. 

  


Sam smirked down maliciously at the man in question. “Lester here? Oh yeah, the only male Omega born in Bemidji in a long while.” He gave Lester a hard pat on the back. “He’s the boy I’ve told you all those stories about. We had some good times together, huh Les?” 

  


Lester inwardly prayed a lot of Sam’s “fond memories” went unsaid because most of those stories were just down right humiliating. “Yeah,” the Omega let out a forced laugh, lightly tapping the Alpha's arm as a queue to move out of his way. “Well I ought to be on my way, I got stuff at home to take care of. It was, uh, nice to see you again, Sam.” He only got his car door open a few inches before Sam slammed it shut on his hand. Lester let out a strangled cry of pain and quickly pulled his hand close to himself. 

  


Before Lester could ask  Sam  what the fuck that was for, the Alpha leaned up against him, pressing Lester and his injured hand against the  cold  car.  Lester was as rigid as cliff side as Sam leaned over and hissed into his ear.  “I’ll see you around, Les.” The Omega whimpered, biting his bottom lip to distract him from the pain  of his hand and the humiliation he felt being pinned to his car with an Alpha at his back . 

 

Thankfully for him, Sam didn't pursue him any further and left him there, honking his car horn as he pulled back out to the road and passed him. One of the boy's waved his hand out the window before the other thumped him on the  back of the  head. 

 

When he was sure Sam was didn't have any intentions of coming back, Lester reluctantly drove himself to the emergency room to get his hand checked. He prayed it wasn’t broken, but the way it swelled and bruised as he was driving, he knew the chances it wasn’t were very slim to none. 

 

As Lester sat in the waiting room, he continuously checked his watch. Half an hour he’d been sitting there and he still hadn't been set up with a doctor. He sighed heavily as he watched hands on his watch slowly twitch. Pearl was gonna be so pissed about this, he knew it. With another sigh he asked the lady at the front desk how much longer he’d have to wait till he’d be seen, but she repeated that someone would see him as soon as his name was called. 

 

“So, what happened to you?” An unfamiliar monotonous voice asked from beside him. “Your hand, what happened to it?” He specified when Lester gave him a curious look. 

  


Lester glanced down at this hand. “Oh, uh…” He gave a soft huff. “I slipped on some ice and accidentally slammed my hand in my car door.” Lester could feel his cheeks flushed red; he was an awful liar.

  


“That so?” The stranger said in a quizzical tone. “Your pants aren't wet at all.” 

  


He glanced down at his pants, they were barely even wrinkled. “Well, it did get shut in a car door.” Lester murmured as he looked back up at the odd man. He had quiet the attention for detail, Lester noted as he shifted in his seat. 

  


“By whom?” The man followed up.

  


Lester dodged the question. “Are you even from here? Who are you?” Lester asked defensively. The man was starting to make him anxious, like was being interrogated or something. And what if word got to Pearl that he’d been talking to some strange man at the hospital? She’d tear him up one side and down the other for sure, probably even accuse him of trying to get with another Alpha behind her back – not that he ever would. He was faithful, though due to the current state of their relationship he began to think maybe Pearl was just just pushing her own guilt onto him. 

  


“No,” The man replied, “just passing through really, but I had an accident.” The Alpha pointed his to his forehead where a large cut was. “Deer.” He specified blandly. 

  


“Oh,” Lester said with a curt nod, “those are everywhere ‘round here.”. 

  


“So, who did that to you?” 

  


Lester cleared his throat and looked at the Alpha in exasperation. The man just wasn't going to drop it was he? “Look, I don’t really see how it’s any of your business who-” 

  


“Was it your spouse? If you’re being abused I can take care of it if-” 

  


“What?! No!” Lester blurted. “It wasn’t Pearl, she’s…” He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, leaning a little bit closer so the man would hear him in his hushed tone. “Look, if you _must_ know, it was Sam Hess. He was a bully in high school, and I guess he’s still a bully now,  so there. That's the story.” 

  


“I can still take care of him.” The Alpha offered, his expression unwavering. 

 

Lester was rather taken back by the Alpha's statement. “Take care how exactly?” 

  


“Does it matter?” 

  


“Well, I mean, if you’re gonna, ya’ know, kill him or something it certainly does.” Suddenly the nurse called him back. “Just a sec.” Lester called back. 

  


“Yes or no?” The man said bluntly 

 

“Mr. Nygaard.” The nursed repeated in irritation, tapping her foot impatiently. 

  


“Yeah, yes, hold on please.” Lester quickly gathered his things and left with the nurse, giving the mysterious man one last glance before he turned and was out of sight.


	2. Pain Conquers Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lester's domestic life is hardly a picturesque one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated: 7 - 19 - 16
> 
> CHAPTER WARNING: Emotional manipulation, Non-consensual Sex

“I still can’t believe you broke your hand shutting in your stupid car door!” Pearl scoffed bitterly as she aggressively scrubbed at a plate. “How can you do this to me, Lester? I come home after a long day of work and now I have to clean the whole house while your hand heals.” She huffed as she rinsed the soapy dish, clacking it loudly to show how displeased she was.

 

“Yeah, well I’m sorry,” Lester murmured into his cup of coffee, “but it’s not like I did it on purpose.”

“God, Lester, I thought something horrible happened to you. Like you hit a deer or slid off the road into the ditch and hit a tree or somethin'.” She turned and looked to her husband, crossing her arms over her chest. “But, naw, of course you'd make me worry over nothin' but a stupid little slip in a parking lot.”

 

He didn't even know what to say to her at this point other than that he was sorry. Slowly he got up from his chair at the table after she dropped her arms and beckoned him with a slight movement of her wrist. Lester leaned up against her and she gently wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her chin on her shoulder affectionately.

 

It was nice to be held like this, Lester thought to himself as he nuzzled into her shoulder. He had missed this type of affection for a while, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was some how a manipulative tacit on Pearl's end. ' _She want's something from you.'_ his rational self told him. He didn't want to believe it; refused to. The Omega simply wanted to relish in the pure affection his Alpha was providing for him; no ulterior motives in sight – at least that's what he was willing to believe for that moment.

 

“I'm sorry, Hon, I don't mean to snap at you.” she crooned, and gave Lester's neck a soft peck with her lips. “I just worry, ya' know? I was just so scared when you weren't here when I go home last night.”

 

Lester nodded into her shoulder. “I'm sorry.” He said into the soft fabric, loosely bringing his arms around her in a reciprocal fashion. “I didn't mean to worry ya, Pearl.”

 

They stayed like that for a few, quiet and peaceful minutes; just holding onto each other and scenting one another. Pearl moved her hand to settle on his hips, giving them an affectionate squeeze before pulling back a half step. “So, since you have the day off and all, why don’t you wash the sheets for tonight so after dinner with your brother you can make it up to me?” She said, urging him with a light hum. “We haven't fooled around since your last heat.”

 

“But my hand-”

 

“You don’t need two hands to do laundry, Hon.” She interrupted.

 

Lester's gaze dropped to the floor in unsubtle disappointment. He jerked slightly when she kissed his forehead; her affection felt empty now. Still, Lester returned the kiss before seeing his wife off too work.

 

Once Pearl left for work, he meandered up the stairs to get the chore done and out of the way before his wife returned from work. It took him a bit to pull the sheets and blankets from the bed and carry the large bundle of sheets to the basement. Lester quickly dumped them in the washer and went up stairs to the main floor to get a start on prepping dinner.

 

After the bed was made, to the best of his ability anyway, Lester decided to keep busy by straightening up the living room a little before Pearl came home from work and he had to put dinner in the oven. When he ran out of things to tidy up, he took a couple of the pain pills his doctor had prescribed and took a nap on the couch until his wife returned. Thankfully when she did return she was in a good enough mood to helped him put the meatloaves in the oven.

 

When Chazz, Kitty, and Gordo showed up for dinner, they brought with them a couple bottles of good wine, which Lester was thankful for because that meant he'd be able to get through the night without too much of a hassle – or so he hoped. As their company settled in, Chazz and Pearl siiting down in the living room to talk, that left the two Omegas to set the table.

 

“So,” Kitty prompted as she set down a plate, “what happened to your hand?” A deep concernwas present in both her tone and face.

 

“Oh, I, uh, slipped on some ice and shut the darn thing in the car door.” He explained and set a wine glass down next the plate.

“Oh, well I hope it heals quickly then.” She said softly and brushed a hand over his left arm affectionately.

“Me too.” Lester said with a sigh, his gaze falling to his right hand. It still hurt despite the medication he’d taken just before Pearl had gotten home. Clearing his throat and hoping to change the direction of the conversation, Lester looked out to the living room and watched Gordo as the kid watch the television. He was growing up more and more each time he saw the kid. “How’s Gordo been?” He asked turning back to Kitty.

 

She frowned slightly, “His Doctor thinks he might have autism, but the test’s haven’t come back yet. Chazz was so angry when I told him, I thought he was going to go to our doctor's house and throttle him.” She shook her head, a small smile tugging the edge of her lips. “Alpha's sure are funny, huh, Lester.”

 

“For sure,” he smiled before glancing over to his mate, “Pearl wants to keep trying for a kid but I don't know if it's too late for me...”

 

Kitty seemed to perk up at hearing that. “Oh, it’s never too late, Lester. If you want I could try and get you some pills to help you along. My friend, Jennifer, she had problems too, but then her gynecologist suggested these pills and now she's having twins!” She said excitedly. “If you want I can give you her number.”

Lester shook his head. “Nah, I’d like it to happen naturally. If it turns out it's too late then we can adopt I suppose. I wouldn't be apposed to that honestly.” When Lester and Kitty finished talking, he called everyone to the table

 

It was a quiet dinner, most the talking done by Pearl and Chazz as they talked politics and work, Lester and Kitty only nodding and agreeing with whatever their spouses were talking about. However, as the night drew on, Lester drank more than his fair share of wine, putting in his two cents where he felt it was due – mostly in regards to Omega rights and things pertaining to it.

 

Later on, Chazz and him even ended up having a little heart to heart, which, unfortunately turned into an argument about how Chazz couldn’t look up to his older brother because he was an Omega and a constant failure. Lester figured he was only lashing out at him because of Gordo's condition, which he vocalized and Chazz nearly decked him. Kitty ended up apologizing for Chazz's behavior but Lester knew he was right; he was washed up and practically useless now. He had no kids, had a mediocre job, and his marriage was on the brink of falling apart.

 

Once their company left and dinner was cleaned up, Pearl ushered, or rather dragged, Lester upstairs to their room. When they got on the bed, she began to kiss him, softly at first but then it became more dominating as she settled herself over him. Lester tried to roll her off but in his drunken he was pretty powerless against her advances.

 

“Come on, Les,” She murdered in his ear, “I've been waiting all day for this.” She started to kiss his neck, marking the skin there.

“'m sorry, babe,” Lester slurred, “can we jus' do this some other time?” He really wasn’t in the mood for sex tonight; the painkillers and alcohol made him sluggish and tired. Honestly he didn’t even think he’d be able to get aroused.

 

“Lester,” she pouted childishly, “I was waiting all day for this. Come on, Hon, it's been so long since we did anything.”

 

Lester groaned trying to shove her away. “Please, I don' feel good.”

“Oh, come on Les,” Pearl growled into his ear, “you owe me.” The Alpha straddled Lester’s hips to keep him semi-still as she started to undress both of them. As she effortlessly stripped him down he just decided to give in to her demands; there was no way he was going to be able to get her off in his current state and knew Pearl wasn’t going to stop until she got what she wanted.

 

The Omega wondered as his wife assaulted him if he was being punished for something he’d done in a past life or if he was just a joke to a cruel God who enjoyed humiliating and inflicting pain on him. That night, Pearl had mustered up enough energy to knot him twice before she was fully satisfied and drifted off to sleep, curling herself around him. During the whole ordeal Lester hadn't grown aroused at all, but that oddly enough didn't seem to deter his wife in the slightest, which was a little discouraging to say the least.

 

 

* * *

 

The next morning Lester woke up alone in bed. It wasn't entirely unusual since Pearl went to work early on Wednesday's and Thursday's, but he was a naturally light sleeper so for him to not even stir when his wife got out of bed was strange to him. It was probably the medication and wine that did him in, he concluded.

 

Tiredly, he rubbed his eye's with his good hand and checked the alarm clock on the nightstand; it read 10:13. Pearl had gone to work about an hour ago. Lester rolled over and hissed in pain. Pearl was none too kind to him last night, and he also had an awful headache along with a throbbing hand. The Omega slowly lifted the covers and wasn’t too surprised to see long, angry, finger shaped bruise on his hips and thighs. If one looked closely they could make out fingernail indentations where Pearl dug her carefully manicured fingernails into his soft skin.

 

Lester slowly got out of bed and looked at the sheets, there’s was a bit of blood on the fabric. “Not good.” He murmured tiredly and wrapped himself in a sheet as he made his way to the bathroom. He took a quick a shower to clean off and then let the faucet run so he could take a long, hot and relaxing, bath to try and make himself human again.

The hot water felt wonderful as it worked his tight and achy muscles. The longer to steeped in the water he thought about how easily it would be to just slip under and drown himself. The thought, though rather sudden, didn't phase him. Lester shook the thought from his head, he couldn’t do that to Pearl though. Heck, she’d probably bicker about that too. He laughed to himself bitterly at that thought of her standing over his naked body and bickering about the inconvenience.

When the he had enough of his own intrusive thoughts he carefully got out of the tub. He was still sore, his hips aching and his hand throbbed. Lester could only manage to slip into his pajamas bottoms when the phone rang.

 

He answered it promptly, “Hello?” his voice was strained slightly with exhaustion.

“Lester?” It was Lou. “Pearl left a message on my machine this morning.” He sounded worried.

 

“Oh, she did?” He asked nervously.

“Yeah, she said you wouldn’t be in today, said you hurt your hand and the medication was making you feel a bit sick.” He said. “I just wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

 

“Oh yeah, everything fine.” Lester tried his best to sound reassuring.

 

“You sure? You don't sound too good, Les.” the elderly man asked with greater concern. “I could have Molly stop by and check on you, ya know. I'm sure she wouldn't mind.”

 

“No, no.” Lester said, maybe a bit too quickly. “I'll be alright. I just had a bit of a rough night is all. You don't need to bother Molly about it.”

“Ok, if you say so.” Lou didn't sound at all convinced that Lester was doing as well as he tried to believe. They both were quiet for a while, Lester felt like Lou was trying to muster up courage to say something but he must have decided against it and simply asked if Lester would be up to working tomorrow afternoon.

 

“I’m not sure, Lou, my hand still hurts even with the medication but I’ll be sure let you know later tonight, yeah?” Lester was glad Lou decided not to pry into the situation further.

“Oh sure, that’s fine. Well, I ought to get back to work. You be sure to call me if you need anything, ok Lester?”

“Sure thing, Lou. Thanks.” Lester grinned and hung up after saying good-bye. He was glad Mr. Solverson had called him, it made him happy to know that he was worth worrying about, but it also worried him about what he thought Lester's home life was like.

Since Lester was already downstairs, he decided to make a couple pieces of toast and have a glass of water to down his pain pills. When he finished his toast he went to living room and lied down on the couch to watch the news. The current story was of some Alpha who was found frozen to death in his underpants and a deer was reportedly found inside the trunk of their car. “Some people.” Lester scoffed in disbelief and decided to charge the channel when the weather segment came on. He settled for a hockey game and dozed off about half an hour later. 


	3. Calling Killers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lester crosses paths with Lorne again and Lester finds out Sam Hess has been murdered. Pearl becomes more aggressive and physically violent until Lester must fight her off to protect himself. The outcome is horrific, but luckily Lester has someone to help him.
> 
> Chapter Updated: 2 -13 - 2017

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning(s):  
> Attempted rape/Rape  
> Murder

Two days drifted by and Lester was now back to work at the diner. He was refilling a man's coffee when he suddenly heard one of the news anchors say something about a body found at motel. Sam Hess’ face was shone on the screen, a reporter stated that he’d been stabbed and authorities believed it had been gang related. Lester nearly dropped the coffee pot in shock.

 

“What's this world coming to...” Mr. Solverson said mournfully. As a retired cop, Lester wondered if the Alpha missed that sense of duty that came with working the police. He'd heard all about Lou's service, all about the bad guys he'd put away and about all the silly things his friend tired to get away with.

 

Lester quickly put the pot back on the burner and turned up the T.V. to listen to the police talk. Chief Thurman said that they weren’t sure who had done it but they were looking into it. Suddenly the bell on the diner's door pinged and Lester looked over to see who had entered out of habit. Lester’s stomach dropped; it was the man he'd meet in the hospital’s waiting room.

 

“You okay, Lester? You look a little spooked.” Mr. Solverson asked, looking over the Omega's shoulder to see who he was looking at. “Do you know him?”

 

The Omega shook his head, “Sorry, it's just, I knew Sam is all.” He cleared his throat and pointed to the television, “We went to the same school.”

 

Lou took a deep breath, grabbing a menu from the holder behind the counter. “You wanna take a break? I can call in Henry a little early if you need to go home.” he offered.

 

“N-No, I’m fine.” Lester said, gently taking the menu from his boss. “We weren't close or anything. It's just, a bit shocking is all, I'll be fine, I promise.”

 

“If you say so...” Lou said, though he was far from convinced.

 

With an air of caution, Lester approached the Alpha who'd taken the booth at the far end of the diner, away from everyone else. “Hello, sir, what can I start you off with?” He asked nervously.

 

The man smiled at Lester and glance at the TV., Sam’s face still up on the screen. “Coffee to start, please.”

 

“A-Alright, be right back.” He said trying his best to keep a cool head.As he filled the man's cup, questions and concerns raced through his mind. Was this just some odd coincidence? Was the man he was pouring coffee for responsible for the Sam's death? If he had did that mean he was involved now?

 

The man showed little to no emotion as he watched the Omega closely. “Funny to run into each other again.” He said with an uncharacteristically cheerful tone. “Is it ok if we talk, since you're here and all.”

 

“I-I don't know. I mean,” he cleared his throat nervously, “I'm working right now.”

 

The Alpha looked around the diner before settling his vacant stare on Lester. “I don't think the one other patron here won't mind if you aren’t hovering over his coffee.” He gestured to the seat in front of him, inviting – or perhaps demanding – Lester to sit. Defiantly however, Lester just leaned his hip against the table, making sure he'd be able to get away from the possibly dangerous Alpha in front of him.

 

Undeterred by Lester's action, the man introduced himself.“So, I didn't introduce myself before; my name's Lorne.” He held his hand out.

 

“My name's Lester...” He responded in a skeptical tone but shook the man's hand pointlessly.

 

“How's your hand doing?”

 

Lester gave him a perplexed look. “Okay, I guess.”

 

“Everything going well with your wife?”

 

“… Yeah.”

 

“Good, glad to hear everything's going well.” The man’s dark eyes showed signs he wasn’t really sold on what Lester had just told him. Instead of continuing the rather one sided conversation, he looked down at the menu, skimming it over.

 

After strained silence settled between them, Lester took a deep breath and leaned forward a bit and ask in a hushed tone, “Did you kill Hess?”

 

Lorne looked up at him and smiled as if Lester just hadn't just accused him of murder. “You're not very subtle, are you?”

 

“Well did you?” He pressed.

 

“Do you think I did?”

 

Lester gave him a curt nod. “I do.”

 

Lorne mimicked Lester's curt gesture and looked back to his menu. “Well you're correct.”

 

“Oh my God.” Lester gasped, putting his left hand over his mouth in awe while taking a small step back. “Why?”

 

“You told me to,” he answered bluntly.

 

Lester didn't know to say. He thought back to that night, going over what the conversation he vaguely remembered having with the man. When the nurse called him back, he'd said yes. Not directly to the man, but not directly to the nurse either. _I_ _indirectly_ _killed Sam Hess,_ Lester thought.

 

“Calm down there, Lester.” Lorne said and gave the smaller man's arm a light tap. “You look like you're gonna pass out.”

 

“What do we do now?” Lester whispered hurriedly. “Good Lord, I can't believe this. I can't believe that you-”

 

“Lester,” Lorne interrupted coolly. “You don't have to do anything, it's alright.”

 

“Alright? You've killed a man!” he hissed.

 

“It's not like Sam Hess was the first one.” Lorne laughed and shook his head. “Can I borrow your pen for a moment?”

 

Nervously, Lester reached into his apron and handed him one. “What's that?” He asked, watching Lorne scrawl out a number on his napkin.

 

“This is my number at the motel I'm staying at.” He pushed the napkin and pen toward Lester with a smile. “Give me a call if you need my services again, though next time I'm gonna have to charge you.”

He took the napkin, carefully tucking it away in his apron. The door the diner chimed again, making Lester jump a little. A man and his daughter walked in, waving politely at Lester before taking their seat. “I, um,” he cleared his throat, “I should get back to work.”

 

As Lester turned to walk away, Lorne snatched his arm in a tight grip. “I don't have to warn you about to going to the cops, do I Lester?” It was a very obvious threat on his part, and of course Lester knew he couldn't go to the police; he was involved.

 

Lester shook his head quickly, “No, I know.” When Lorne let go of his arm, he let out the breath he was holding.

 

“Oh, and Lester,” Lorne quickly added, “will you put my order down for the soup of the day?”

 

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lester fell asleep on the couch after he’d gotten home that afternoon; he only realized he’d fallen asleep when Pearl came home and shook him. “What are you doing?” She snipped.

 

“I was sleeping.” Lester yawned..

 

“Why isn’t dinner done?”

 

“Because I was sleeping.” He said and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. “Why don’t we just order in tonight?”

 

“Are you kidding me, Lester!?” She shouted. “Are you having memory problems now too? My parents are coming for dinner tonight!”

 

If Lester wasn't fully awake before he certainly was now. Pearl's family utterly loathed him because he wasn’t the perfect textbook example of an Omega. He didn’t want to be a house Omega, he wanted to work and be his own person. “Why don’t we just go out to eat then?” He suggested, he didn’t think he could throw something within the time crunch.

 

Pearl huffed agitatedly at him. “Fine, but you’ll have to make it up to make it up to me later. They aren't gonna be very happy about this, Les. I told them there would be a nice home cooked meal tonight.”

 

“I’m so sorry Pearl.” Lester murmured. “I’ve just been really tired lately.”

 

Pearl just ignored him in favor of going to the kitchen to call her parents. She told them Lester had over cooked dinner and it was too bad to fix. Instead of rescheduling the dinner like Lester had desperately hoped they would, they opted to meet at a restaurant in an hour.

 

“I can’t believe you forced me to lie to my parents!” She said exasperatedly when she padded back to the living room with her hands on her hips in a scolding manner.

 

“You didn’t have to have to lie to them.” Lester pointed out bitterly.

 

“If I had told them you’d slept all day they’d think you do nothing at all!” She defended.

 

“I don't care anymore, Pearl!” Lester shouted, “I don’t care what they think of me, okay? Your family already hates me, they have the whole while we've been married, so what's the point in even trying to impress them anymore?!” His chest felt so tight and his words trembled with pent up rage. “And as for making it up to you, Pearl, no! You lied to them, not me!”

 

Lester abruptly stood up and got up in her face. He was tired of being backed into a corner all the time. “If anyone should be making up to someone it should be you! I've spent most this god awful marriage rolling over for you when you wanted me and I'm sick and tired of it!”

 

Suddenly Lester felt a large sting across his face; Pearl had backhanded him. The Omega looked at the wall in shock. Pearl had never had never struck him like that before. “You’ll do as I say, Lester.” He heard Pearl growl. “I am your Alpha and you will obey me,” she gripped his hair and forced him to look at her, “or I will beat that into you until you understand. Clear?” The Alpha hissed giving Lester's hair a tug.

 

Unable to get his words to pass his trembling lips, he just nodded to the best of his ability in Pearl's unrelenting grip. Tears of pain and humiliation stung his eyes and threatened to run down his frustratedly flushed cheeks. When Pearl finally let go of him, a brokensob escaped his tightening throat.

 

The Alpha huffed at him and turned away from him. “Just go get ready.” She ordered before stalking up the stairs.

 

Once the Omega was able to move, he obeyed and cleaned himself up for their dinner with Pearl's parents. Unsurprisingly, Lester ended up having to put on concealer over his cheek where Pearl hit him, the was red and irritated underneath the thick make-up.

 

The whole ride to the to the restaurant neither of them said anything until Pearl turned the car off in the parking lot. “I probably don't have to you tell you, but not a word about our fight to my parents.” Lester only nodded in reply. She smiled and tried to peck Lester on the forehead but he had quickly jerked away. It didn't seem to bother her and she just patted his thigh tenderly before getting out.

 

The dinner went better than most, though Lester assumed it was largely due to the fact they were in public and Pearl's parents had a reputation to uphold, but still, it was some what nice. Pearl’s father, Charles, did most of the talking, as he always did, and Lester would have been extremely thankful if he could through the whole dinner without have to saying anything, but Pearl’s mother, Mary, had mentioned how quiet Lester was. “Is he alright? He’s been awfully quiet.” She asked as if he wasn’t able to answer the question himself. Of course they wouldn't directly talk to him, they almost never did.

 

“Oh yes, well, he's just a bit upset is all.” She cleared her throat as she conjured up an excuse. “We thought he’d finally gotten pregnant but it was negative at the doctors.” For someone who claimed to hate lying to her parents Pearl sure did it often, Lester thought as he picked at his food.

 

“Poor dear.” The elderly Omega cooed softly at him. “Don’t worry, you’ve still got time.”

 

Lester gave her a minute nod and smiled at the older Omega. “Thank you, Mary.”

 

Pearl’s father cleared his throat before speaking. “Have you been tested, Lester?”

 

Lester's head shot up and he gave the Alpha an insulted look. Before he could make a retort, Pearl's mother intervened. “Charles!” Mary gasped, hitting his arm lightly. Everyone knew it was an insult to accuse an Omega of infertility, but to ask the Alpha was far worse still.

 

“It’s a reasonable question, Mary.” Charles said gruffly and looked at Lester accusingly.

 

“Yes, father.” Pearl answered, her tone stressed. “Lester is fertile and so am I, it’s just harder for a couple like us to get a baby is all. For Lester’s upcoming heat we plain to fully spend it together.”

 

Upon hearing that Lester’s stomach dropped. A whole week, give or a take a few days, with Pearl in a sex induced haze was not something he was looking forward to do at all. Especially with their relationship dwindling as it was.Lester prayed that dinner would be over soon so he could go to bed and forget about everything that happened today.

 

“Well, hopefully we’ll get grandchildren soon.” Charles said pointedly, crossing his arms over his chest. “He's not exactly getting any younger.”

 

Lester bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blowing up in the restaurant. He didn’t want to be there anymore, he didn’t want to be with any of these people. There was no way Lester was going to bring a child into this horrible excuse of a marriage anyway. Heck, they’d probably even treat it the same if it turned out to me an Omega. He couldn’t condemn someone to live like that, let alone his own child.

 

When the dinner finally finished, Pearl and Lester said their good-bye's and went home. As soon as Lester shed his coat, he went straight to the basement in hopes that Pearl would go straight to bed and he'd have a few minutes to himself to try and calm down from the stresses of the day. Between being now involved in a murder, being slapped, and being humiliated, the Omega couldn't possibly think of anything worse that could happen tonight.

 

Or so Lester thought until he heard Pearl pad down the basement stairs.

 

Lester decided to just ignore and hoped she’d just go away. As he bent over pulling clothes out from the dryer and tossing them forcefully into a basket, Pearl leaned over and gripped Lester’s hips. The Omega shot up quickly and gave the Alpha a weary glance over his shoulder. “I’m not in the mood, Pearl.” he murmured and pulled away.

 

“Then get in the mood.” She cooed, a devilish grin tugged her lips. “Come on Les, you can finish laundry in the morning.”

 

“No, Pearl. I don’t want to tonight.” He said more sternly. “It’s honestly the last thing on my list of things I want to do right now.” Oh boy, that was a mistake.

 

Pearl huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “You owe me, Lester.”

 

“No I don't!” He shouted, his blood pumping thick through his veins as he grew angry. “I don't owe you shit, you didn’t have lie to your parents tonight! You could have told them what actually happened! I’m not going to have sex with you tonight, or any other night, until you start treating me like a fucking human being!” Lester’s face was red, his eyes filled with tears. So much had gone unsaid through the years, and Lester was sick of having to hide his thoughts. He wasn't going to hold back anymore, he wasn't going to just let this happen like he had so many times before.

 

The Alpha's expression was a mix between anger and utter disbelief. She crowded Lester against the work table. She gripped the Omega’s arms, digging her nails into his soft skin through the thin fabric of his shirt. “I wasn’t gonna bring this up but Mark told me he saw you flirting with with another Alpha at Lou’s a few days ago.” She hissed. “Is that why you don’t want to fuck me, huh? Is that why you were always tired, going out all day to fuck some stranger to spite me?!” Pearl smacked Lester’s already bruised cheek and forcefully rolled him over and against the table.

 

“G-Get off of me!” Lester shouted struggling against her forceful hold, the work table's edge cut comfortably into his midsection. “I-I would never ch- cheat on-on you, I swear!”

 

“Shut up Lester, you worthless Omega!” She growled. “I’m going to fuck you till there’s no doubt you’re pregnant. 'Till everyone knows in the God forsaken town knows you’re mine!”

 

Lester froze for a few seconds, only springing to action when Pearl began to tug his pants down. He squirmed against her, but she didn’t budge. “P-Please, Pearl, d-don’t.” He pleaded frantically. “I-I’m sorry, please stop!” He thrashed wildly.

 

“Shut up and stop moving so much!” She ordered and grabbed the nap of Lester’s neck causing him to go practically limp in her hold. She dug her sharp nails into his neck and with any movement from Lester she’d tighten her grip.

 

“Please,” he choked out, he could feel blood tickle the back of his neck. “Please don’t do this, please.” He could feel her rubbing against him. He wondered how this could be arousing to anyone at all. How could someone do this to someone they claimed to love? The answer, his mind supplied, was that they didn’t love the person they were doing it to. Pear didn’t love him, not like he thought she did. The love they had out of high school had become corrupted over time. There was no longer a feeling of love for each other, just an acceptance for each others presences.

 

When Pearl abruptly and forcefully tried to enter him Lester was thrown back to the real world. Lester panicked and frantically searched for something to throw at her to get her away. He grasped something and he quickly twisted himself to strike her with the object. He managed to hit her side with the head of a hammer.

 

Pearl cried out in pain, clutching on to her side as she stumbled backwards. “You’ll really pay for that one, you little slut.” she roared. Pearl lunged at him, trying to wrestle the hammer from his shaking hands.

 

In the tussle, Lester managed to strike her again, this time hitting her in the temple. The Alpha fell heavy to the floor, she was convulsing erratically. Lester crawled to her side instinctively, “Pearl?” he asked a soft whisper. “Oh, geez.” he gasped and covered his mouth when he saw the blood pooling around her. He dry heaved and looked away for a moment to collect himself as best he could. “Oh Christ, what do I -” Pearls hand reached and grabbed his shirt sleeve, pulling it harshly. Lester yelped and struck her again, and again, and again. He kept at it long after her hand released him and she’d stopped struggling.

 

Once the adrenaline cleared somewhat he backed away to the far corner. “Oh God, what have I done?!” He cried and fist his hair. “W-What do I d-do?” His mind supplied the answer; _clean up and then call Lorne, he’ll know what to do._

 

Lester followed his own instructions, stripping his blood soaked clothes off in the basement and put them in a plastic bag. He then went to the bathroom and scrubbed himself raw. His skin burned under the scorching hot spray of water. After he’d cleaned and put on a new set of clothes he went to the kitchen and called Lorne. When a woman answered and shakily read off Lorne’s room number and name. When Lorne answered with a monotone “Hello” Lester nearly broke down again.

 

“I-I need your help. P-Please my wife - she’s - oh God -” Lester wept.

 

“Calm down, Lester.” Lorne said softly. “Take a moment and then tell me what happened.”

 

Lester did just that. He placed the phone to his chest and took deep ragged breaths until they evened out. When he felt he was ready Lester put the phone back up to his ear. “My w- Pearl, she attacked me and now - oh God -she’s in the basement. Please, I need your help. I-I don’t know what to do.” Tears streamed down his face and he trembled horribly as the whole scenario replayed itself in his mind.

 

“I’ll be there in a few.” Lorne said and hung up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully chapters will be about this length or longer from now on. I'm honestly surprised at how fast i've been getting chapters out for this fic because i'm having major writers block for my other ones... 
> 
> Sorry for errors you'll find throughout the fic (grammar, spelling, plot holes, etc), but I'm doing this by myself and I sometimes don't catch all my errors.


	4. Chapter 4

Lester paced back and forth in the living room, waiting for Lorne to arrive. He heard a car pull up into the driveway and peeked out of the window from behind the curtain. He quickly jumped back when he saw that a police car had pulled up along the curb. ‘Oh God, he called the cops!’ Lester thought, his stomach tightened in anxiety.

    There was a brief knock on the door but Lester made no move to answer. He took his time to compose himself, and only went to answer when the policeman on the other side made a stern verbal request for entrance, though he only opened the door as wide as the chain lock allowed. It was Chief Thurman. “Hey, Lester.” he greeted with a small wave and gentle smile. “May I come in? It’s a bit chilly out here.”

    Lester was surprised to say the least, he half expected the officer to break down his door and point a gun at him. Maybe Lorne hadn't called the police, maybe a neighbor had phoned in a domestic dispute complaint. Still, Lester promptly shut the door and unhooked the chain to let the sheriff inside, hoping to not induce any suspicion of the events that had taken place in the basement.“What can I do for you, Mr. Thurman?” Lester asked meekly, his eyes drifting to the floor rather than the man in front of him.

    Chief Thurman looked at Lester with a worried expression. “Oh, well,” the Alpha began, “the neighbor called in, said she’d heard a lot of shouting. Is everything alright with you and Pearl?” He asked, blatantly eying at Lester's braced hand.

    “Oh, this?” Lester lifted his hand, “I just slipped on ice a few days ago is all.”

    “I see.” Mr. Thurman said in a perplexed tone. “And you’re cheek?”

    Lester’s eyes watered slightly. “I-I fell…”

    “I see…” He repeated. He looked around the house a bit from where he stood. “Is your wife here?” He asked looking back at Lester. Lester just shook his head in reply, unable to speak as tears ran freely down his cheeks again. The police chief placed a gentle hand on the Omega’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, Lester.” he said in a trained, soft tone. “You can tell me anything, alright?” He waited for Lester to nod before continuing. “If Pearl’s been abusing you, you need to-” he paused when he caught a glimpse of blood on the floor.

    Lester followed his gaze when the chief stopped speaking abruptly. “Ah geez.” He whimpered and slumped to the floor shaking. It was all over for him. He was going to be arrested and his life would be over.

    “Is that your blood Lester?”

    Lester shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. “I-I don’t… I don’t know what happened.” He sobbed. “I just – She just – and I -”

    “Is Pearl down there?” Thurman asked, cautiously pulling out his gun. “Lester I need you to try and calm down and tell me me happened here.”

    Lester cried and cried, trying to tell Chief Thurman what happened but it was all broken up. Lester knew what had happened, what he’d done, but he wasn’t truly convinced it was real. His head throbbed and he was shaking horribly.

 **** **_Crack!_ **

_Thump_ _._

    It happened so quickly Lester wasn’t sure what had happened. Chief Thurman was lying on the ground in front of him, blood pooling around his limp body. Lester looked around and froze when he saw Lorne standing in the kitchen, a shotgun at his hip. “P-Please, please don’t kill me.” Lester sobbed holding his hands above his head.

    Lorne laughed as he made way over to Lester. “I’m not here to kill you, Lester, I’m here to save you.” The man held out his hand for Lester to take. “We gotta get outta here.”

    Lester took Lorne’s hand, he didn’t know what else to do. Lorne set Lester down in the kitchen and went to the basement. The Alpha came back up with the hammer and the bag of Lester’s bloodied clothes. “Let’s go, Lester.”

    Lester followed Lorne blindly into his own car, sitting in the passenger seat as Lorne drove. The Omega sat and just looked at the window absently. He felt so numb. After an hour or so of driving Lester asked without looking to the driver, “Where are you taking me?”

    “A burrow deep in the snow.” Lorne replied dryly.

    He looked over at him, fear began to settle into his empty gaze. “A-Are you going to kill me and bury me in the snow?” He didn’t want to die, but then again he didn’t really deserve to live now, especially after what he had just done. He’d been the cause of three people’s death in span of little less than a week. Lester suddenly felt extremely nauseous.

    The driver just snickered at him. “No, of course not. I told you Omega’s are not something to be treated as trash.” He paused for a moment and looked over at Lester. “I have a small little cabin a ways away from here. We’ll stay there a few days until I get a call.”

    Lester sank back into his seat. He had no reason to trust this man, he’d killed two people after all! Seems like he even makes a career out of it. Who was this guy, an assassin, a hit man? Did it really matter what he was at all? He was just dangerous, and Lester knew he had to keep his guard up.

    “Where exactly is your cabin?” Lester asked softly.

    “Nowhere important. You’d only stumble upon it by chance.”

    Lester didn't say anything further, just looked back out his window again. No one spoke until they reached the small cabin. Small being a rather generous term for it, Lester thought when he saw it. It looked like something you'd see an old woodsman to live in, looking like it only had enough room for the necessities and little else.

    From the outside it looked very run down and it seemed like the wind could carry it away at any moment. However, on the inside it appeared very homely, despite it's cramped confines. Paintings, photographs, and animals mounted the walls. The wallpaper was very outdated, like something that reminded Lester of his grandmother's home, and the carpet showed heavy signs of use; stains from boots, mud, water and God only knows what else.

    "You see the kitchen and living room here," Lorne pointed to a hall leading off the kitchen, "down there to the left is the bathroom, and across from that to the right is the bedroom."

    Lester nodded and moved further into the living room, he then sat on the couch. It was comfortable and it smelled surprisingly comforting as well. Lester assumed it was because Lorne was an Alpha, while Lester was a rather distressed Omega. Still he sank back into the couch.

    "Would you like something to drink? I have some whiskey if you want." Lorne offered.

    "No, thank you. I'm fine." Lester said with a distant tone, like he was reading off of a script for the first time. He didn't feel real, nothing felt real. It was a horrible nightmare he kept telling himself. Soon the walls would fall down and he be thrown back to his real life. Any moment now he'd wake up with Pearl sleeping next to him.

    Lorne had disappeared into the bedroom and came out carrying a large blanket and a pillow. "You should rest, Lester." The Alpha said placing the pillow at one end of the couch. The Omega curled up on his side and let Lorne tuck him. "Everything's gonna be fine." He soothed, running a gentle hand through Lester's short, soft hair. "I'll take care of everything."

    Lester's eyelids felt heavy so he closed them and drifted as Lorne pet him. He felt warm and loved as he slipped into unconsciousness with surprising ease. He had a horrible nightmare that night; he stood in a pool of thick blood, the levels rising higher and higher. It was so hot. The blood got into his mouth and he gagged. He felt weak and could hardly keep his head above the blood. Lester thought he was going to drown in the thick nearly boiling blood until it suddenly drained away.

    He looked around and saw a sea of bodies litter the ground before him. A deep voice echoed in his ears. "Yes or no?" Soon the bodies began to get up and shift near him, all uttering the phrase, "Yes or no?". It wasn't until they got close to him did he realize they all looked like Pearl. The seemingly lifeless bodies crowded him, attacked him, ripping him apart into nothingness.

    Lester gasped for air and frantically looked around. He was awake and was now aware of how hot he was. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace so now Lester didn't need such a thick blanket covering him. He kicked it off, bunching it at the end of the couch with his feet. The clicking of an opening door sounded and soon Lorne appeared.

    "You okay?" He asked tiredly.

    Lester nodded and rubbed his eyes, they burned and his head pounded. Honestly he felt severely hung over despite not drinking anything. “Did I wake you up?” he asked in a drowsy voice.

    “Don’t worry about it.” The Alpha answered, patting Lester’s leg as to signal them to move so he could sit on the couch as well.

    Lester pulled his legs close, still laying on his side. He tried to keep his eyes open but they just hurt so bad he couldn’t for more than a minute at a time. Lorne placed a hand on Lester’s calf, rubbing it soothingly.

    “Nightmare, huh?” He said looking out of the window that faced the couch. It was still dark out. The glare of fire reflected the otherwise dark room on the glass, making it look like they were both painted.

    “Yeah.” Lester sighed.

    “Don’t let them get to you, you’ll go crazy if you pay them any mind.” Lorne warned quietly. No one said anything for a long time after that. The soft crackling of wood was the only white noise in the room.

    “How do I block it out?” Lester murmured groggily.

    “You can’t, not really anyway.” Lorne answered. “You’re one of those people who dwells on the past. You keep thinking about those you’ve hurt or those who've hurt you. You picture how things should have gone, think about what would have happened if you did this or that.” He paused allowing Lester to take in what he was saying. “People like you tend to use drugs or alcohol to dull the ‘echoes of the past’, but all you really need is a distraction.”

    "A distraction? Like what, a job or something?" 

 Lorne shrugged, "I guess you could make a job of it, but I was thinking more along the lines of sex." 

    “Then I suppose I should find some cheap hard drugs to do.” The Omega muttered bitterly, pulling his leg away from Lorne’s touch. At this point Lester didn't think he'd ever have sex with anyone ever again. Even just the word had him curling in on himself and fighting to keep all the memories - good or otherwise - from resurfacing fully.

    Lorne hummed softly, placing both hands on his own knees in deep thought. “Sex can be as addictive as any drug out there, Lester.” The tone he used made it seem like he wasn’t really wasn’t talking to anyone, like it was more of a thought than a statement.

    Lester sat up and huddled against the arm of the couch where he hugged the pillow Lorne gave him earlier. He wanted to further himself from the aberrant man. “I’m thinking my brother, Chazz, has an addiction to sex. Maybe Gordo’s autism is a punishment for his sleeping around.” Lester thought aloud.

    The Alpha turned to Lester, an intrigued glimmer in his eyes. “God works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?”

    “He certainly does.” Lester agreed with a heavy sigh. He thought about Kitty and Gordo; Chazz didn’t deserve such a loyal and loving family. Gordo deserved a father who would be there for him, and Kitty deserved a loyal husband. Chazz was more of a disgrace to the family name than he claimed Lester to be.

    Tears began to sting Lester’s already raw eyes. Why was God doing this to him? Why did he deserve such horrible punishment in his life? Was this his punishment from another life? So many questions filled his mind as he thought of the God that was supposed to love all his children. Did Jesus not die so that his sins could be forgiven too?

  
    Lorne started to massage the sniveling man’s back in a comforting way. “Everything will be fine, Lester. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” The two sat with each other on the couch for the rest of the night. After Lester cried himself to sleep, Lorne carried him to the bedroom and tucked him in carefully. The Alpha placed a gentle kiss on Lester’s forehead before leaving him to sleep.

* * *

 

Lester woke with a start, flailing the covers off of him in a frenzy. Whose bed was this and why was he in it? The scent was familiar and very welcoming, it took nearly everything in his power to not bury himself in the covers and wallow in the scent that was unmistakably Alpha. Slowly, however, the memories of last night filtered through his groggy mind. Sam, Pearl, Chief Thurman; they were all dead.

    He covered his gaping mouth with his hands and made a choked noise. He felt ill and his head throbbed horribly. Lester felt like he was dying. “Oh, God…” The Omega whispered hoarsely. A bit louder he cried out, “I killed my wife, oh God ... No ... No please…” Lester tried to shed tears for his wife and the town's beloved police chief but he couldn’t. His tears had all dried up but his eyes still stung as if someone had poured salt into them.

    Suddenly, a rush of relief flooded over him as he recalled what Lorne had done for him. The Alpha had helped him escape from Thurman, helped him escape from that prison of a home. The Omega laid back onto the bed and began to laugh dryly; it sounded callous. Lester rolled over on his side and curled into himself as he laughed. He was laughing so loudly he hadn’t even heard the door open.

    “I’ve never been much of a morning person myself.” Lorne greeted as he moved into Lester’s line of sight. He had a bed tray with a plate of food and glass of milk.

    Eventually, the Omega sobered and sat up, rubbing his temple as it throbbed. “Breakfast in bed?”

    Lorne hummed in confirmation as he placed the tray on the nightstand. Lester propped himself up against the pillows, minding his hand, and let Lorne move the tray over his lap. The plate had a small stack of pancakes, some scrambled eggs, and a few pieces of sausage. Such a normal breakfast, Lester thought. His stomach growled loudly but he eyed the food skeptically. It could be poisoned.

    “Go on, you need to at least a little bit. There is syrup for the pancakes if you want.” Lorne offered in his normal monotone voice.

    “Syrup would be nice, thanks.” Lester said softly as he eyed the Alpha wearily.

    As Lorne got to the door he paused and looked back at Lester. “It’s not poisoned, Lester, I promise.”

    Lester’s cheeks flushed as he looked back to his food. Lorne had done all this for him, why would he have poisoned him instead of just taking care of him at the house? With a resigned sigh he carefully ate a bit of the scrambled egg. It was delicious; there was cheese melted and mixed into the fluffy egg, and it was sprinkled lightly with pepper.

    When Lorne came back with the syrup Lester had nearly finished off the eggs and sausage. “Better slow down there, Lester. You’re gonna get sick.” He held out the syrup for Lester to take and pour on his pancakes.

    “Sorry.” Lester apologized after swallowing a mouthful of food. After the syrup was drizzled onto the fluffy cakes, Lester cut into them with only slight difficulty. Melted butter and sweet maple syrup mixed with the savory flavor of the pancakes was superb. He hadn't cook anything like this for him, or even Pearl, in such a long time. The effort put forth to make such a simple meal reminded him Lou's cooking at the diner.

    “I take it's satisfactory enough for you.” Lorne mused once Lester finished off a whole pancake and was working his way into the next one.

    He nodded his head as his mouth was full but after he swallowed he answered verbally. “Yes, it’s very good. Thank you.”

    The Alpha seemed to beam proudly before promptly leaving the room without another comment. If Lester listened carefully he could hear the familiar clang of dishes being washed. The Omega felt a bit guilty about Lorne going through all the trouble for him, but he was extremely grateful giving what he’d through the last twenty-four hours. He finished up his breakfast and carefully arranged the tray so he could get out of bed without knocking it over.

    Once out of the bed he carried the tray and it’s contents to the kitchen where Lorne was still standing in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee. “You ate it all.” Lorne said surprised and reached out for the tray.

    Lester pulled it back and shook his head, “It’s the least I can do, really.”

    “I wouldn't be a very gracious host if I let my guest wash their own dishes. Please, sit on the couch. The T.V remote is on the table.” Lorne waved him off as he took the tray.

    Not seeing any reason to fight Lorne on the simple subject of washing a few dishes, he decided to go along with Lorne’s suggestion and sat in the living room. The television was already on, a local news station on the screen. “... kidnapping gone awry is what’s being described by Bemidji police this morning. A neighbor called the police late last night after hearing shouting next door, believing it to be a spousal dispute, which lead Chief Thurman to the scene. We take you to our on the scene reporter, James Thompson.” Said a women, clearly an Alpha, on the broadcast.

    “It’s something straight out of a murder mystery novel, Sarah." James Thompson said with a feigned concerned tone. “Supposedly the kidnapper and the chief both had guns but it seems the kidnapper was able to fire first, killing the chief instantly with a single shot to the chest. A woman, identified as Pearl Nygaard, was found bludgeoned to death in the basement of the home. Her death was likely the result of trying to save her Omega, Lester Nygaard, from the kidnapper. The whereabouts of Lester Nygaard are currently unknown and-”

    The T.V suddenly went black causing Lester to jump and look around before he saw Lorne with remote in hand. “Looks like you won’t be going out for a while.” The Alpha said, his tone edging on threatening.

    “What are we going to do? They’re out looking for me! What if they start knocking on doors and put posters up all over the state?” Lester worried.

    “Relax, Lester. They don’t actually do that door to door thing. Besides we’re too far out for them to search here.” Lorne assured him, settling down next to the worrying Omega. “The poster thing however is another story. You’ll have to lay low and stay inside for a while.”

    Lester nodded and buried his face in hands and then huffed agitatedly. What was he to do? Stay here and live out the rest of his days with a hitman? Not the most ideal situation but at least he wasn’t in prison. “I’m so sorry…” He muttered as his headache came back. All this was too much to take in.

    “I knew what I was getting into when I gave you my number, Lester.” The Alpha said and patted the Omega’s back lightly.

    The Omega turned his head with a skeptical expression. “You knew what you were getting into?” Lester stood up quickly and thrust a finger that the Alpha. “Did you know I would fucking kill my wife? Did you plan on shooting Thurman? What on God’s green earth do you m-”

    Lester suddenly staggered backwards a bit, suddenly feeling very lightheaded and woozy. Black began to creep into his vision and before he knew it he was falling to his knees on the carpeted floor. It seemed like forever till he actually hit the plush carpeting. He immediately started to think that Lorne had actually drugged him. He began to fear being raped or killed. But when his vision cleared and he was able to steady himself he knew that wasn’t the case.

    Lorne crouched down next to him with a very concerned look. “Are you alright, Lester?” He asked, cautiously reaching out to help the man stand.

    Lester nodded breathlessly before taking the offered assistance and slowly stood. “I thought…” Lester gave a weak laugh as Lorne helped him to his feet. “I thought you drugged me for a second there.”

    Lorne laughed as well. “I’m sure you did.” After a tense moment Lorne had Lester sit back down on the couch. “I’m gonna draw you a hot bath so you can relax a bit. You just sit tight for a few, alright.” Lester wasn't going to protest against the promises of a hot bath, more so just to have a moment to collect himself and try to come up with a plan for what he was going to do now.

    After Lorne vanished into the bathroom, Lester spread out on the couch. “That was so weird…” he murmured to himself. He’d never done anything like that before, at least not that he could recall. As Lester laid on the couch he kept his eyes on the large window that faced the woods. He saw something, or somethings, dashing in the far off brush. It rushed toward the house in zigzagging motion. Probably a deer, Lester's mind supplied.

    Sure enough, a startled doe jumps passed the trees; her eyes wide, ears perked, chest heaving.

    Lester stayed completely still as he watched her from his spot on the couch. He wondered what had spooked her so badly. The doe and Lester seemingly locked eyes; he felt an odd connection with her. Scared, lost, running for their life - or in Lester's case mostly freedom.

    Suddenly, a small fawn dashed out of the brush and caused Lester to jerk back, startled. The baby looked utterly exhausted, they must have been running for a while. "Poor little thing..." Lester cooed as the reunited family took off again out of sight. The fawn seemed extremely reluctant to follow their mother, but promptly followed after it's mother.

    It wasn't more than a few minute later after the deer dashed away that Lorne came out of the bathroom. "The bath is ready." Lorne announced. The Alpha moved close to Lester, holding out a hand to help him off the couch.

    Lester didn't take his hand, opting to push himself up. "I saw a deer, just now." He said softly, and looked back at the window.

    "There's a lot of them out there." Lorne commented, ushering Lester toward the bathroom. "I even see some wolves on occasion. A black one roams around here, maybe you'll get to see him." He left Lester be once he told him where he could find anything should he need it; towels, combs, toiletries, etc.

    Once he striped his clothes and folded them neatly on the sink's counter, he submerged himself into the hot water. The tub was slightly cramped as the bathroom itself didn't spare much room, but he could at least sit comfortably enough. He let out a content sigh as he lowered himself into the hot water, the water lapping against his chest soothingly.

    After a while of just mindless relaxation, he started to reflect. He had killed someone; his wife. Bittersweet memories of the woman he’d grown to love, the woman he’d married, the woman he thought he wanted to have children played in the back of his mind:

    Pearl in her wedding dress, beaming proudly with joyful tears brimming her eyes as Lester walked up to the alter. Their fourth anniversary spent in their new house drinking cheap wine their neighbor had given them as a housewarming gift, laughing together and fondly looking forward to their future together. The first time they thought Lester had gotten pregnant, both crying excitedly as they held each other tightly looking forward to their future as parents. The gut twisting disappointment that followed when the doctor told them that it was a false positive. All the years they spent together, slowly drifting further and further apart and seemingly became strangers to each other.

    Suddenly his thoughts drifted to the news program from earlier. He wondered if their families were making any effort to look for him. As of now, everyone saw him was a victim. What if they found out he wasn’t? What if they found out he had killed Pearl and then was also behind the death of Bemidji's most beloved police chief as well as a successful member of their community? He had so much blood on his hands, how would he be able to hide that from everyone? He knew eventually everything would be connected and he'd be pinned for the crimes he'd committed.

  
    Lester looked at his reflection in the bathwater, his face weaved, distorted, in the reflection as his chest sent slight ripples while he breathed. He felt tears welled up in his eyes. The Omega fisted his hair with his left hand while his right one wrapped around his now folded legs as he curled into himself. He let out a loud roar of anguish as he mourned the loss of his life.

Lester was too overcome in his distress to notice when Lorne entered the bathroom; it was only when he placed a hand on Lester’s shaking shoulder did the Omega realize he was there. Lester shrugged away from the touch of the Alpha and glanced up at the hit-man with tear filled eyes. “Why did you take me in?” He asked in a quivering voice. “Why didn’t you just kill me? Wouldn’t have been easier on you - heck, for the both of us - to just kill me?”

Lorne didn’t answer right away, but when he did the answer surprised Lester. “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

With a perplexed expression, Lester looked away. No one spoke for a long time, the only noise coming from the water when Lester shifted in the bath and the water smacked against the porcelain walls of the tub. “I’m not gonna to be a replacement for you.” Lester said, finally breaking the tense silence.

Lorne said nothing.

Lester looked up at the Alpha, and Lorne just looked back at him. “Why are ya keepin me alive?” He asked again, his tone a bit more edgy. “Are you planning on making me a replacement for that someone you used to know? ‘Cause if you are, I’ll tell ya right now that’s not gonna happen. I’m ain’t some doll you can dress up and play house with.”

Lorne let out a soft chuckle at that. “I’m not expecting you to do anything for me.”

“So then answer me, Lorne.” Lester demanded, his voice cracked just a bit. “Why didn’t you kill me?” He could feel himself begin to break on the inside. The deep depression and despair of his situation was devouring him once again. It was like an endless cycle of depression, hopelessness, anger, grief, and then overwhelming anxiety which reset the cycle again.

“I don’t know.”

The Omega’s eyes shot up to Lorne, a fire kindled in his eyes. He stood up, body wet and dripping with lukewarm water. “You mean to tell me that you got no plan for me? That you just helped me out on a - on a fuckin’ whim? You expect me to repay you in someway, is that it?” He growled. His body was vibrating with spite.

Before Lorne could answer, Lester got out of the tub, crowding the Alpha against the closed door. The Alpha wouldn’t admit it now, but the fire in Lester’s eyes was sight to behold. He hadn’t seen such a wild expression in an Omega in a long while. “You want me on my knees, begging for your big Alpha cock? ‘Cause Lord knows I ain’t got the cash to pay you - but heck,  _ you  _ knew that when you met me!”

Lester pressed himself against Lorne, leaving wet patches on the man’s clothes. The Omega’s eyes watered once more and he weakly beat against the man with both fists. It pained him a great deal to feel so vulnerable and used and weak.

Lorne quickly gripped the man’s hands, being mindful of Lester’s right one, and ceased their weak assault to his shoulders. Lester sobbed and pressed his wet cheek against Lornes chest not knowing what else he could do. Lester just leaned against the other man until the Alpha wrapped his arms around him in a comforting manner and he stopped shaking.

“Please, will you…” Lester croaked, “I can’t live like this… I’m not strong enough to live like this.”

The Alpha let go of Lester and gently pushed the Omega back to look at him directly. “You can’t, you’re right.” He said in a soft tone. “But with help, you’ll be able to learn how to, Lester. I took you in and so you’re my responsibility. I can help you, if you’re willing to accept it.”

“I can’t live with all this blood on my hands.” he sobbed and shook his head.

“I’ll make it less noticeable, Lester.” Lorne promised.

* * *

 

Eight long days passed since Lester’s break down. The two were starting to fall into a rather domestic routine; Lester tidied up the place, Lorne would cook or go get something for them to eat, and they both ate together in the living room and watch whatever happened to be come in clear enough on the television. Unfortunately their comforting cycle was broken when Lorne received a phone call. They had been settled down on the couch after eating dinner, watching the 1992 adaptation of Dracula on the television while each nursed a cup of coffee, when the phone rang.

The Omega watched Lorne as he picked up the phone. “Yeah, I took care of it.” Lorne said into the phone after a long pause. “They won’t be able to trace it back to me.” Lester could faintly hear someone’s voice shouting, though he couldn’t make any sense out of the noise. ”Well do you have something for me or did you just call to bitch?” There was another long pause. “Yup, just fax the information.” After a brief moment he hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Lester asked when Lorne made his way back to the couch.

“Work.” The Alpha answered bluntly. “I’ll be leaving for a few days after tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Lester murmured into his coffee cup before looking up at Lorne again. “What am I gonna do while you’re gone?”

Lorne shrugged. “Hang around here, watch T.V., read a book, write your thoughts down like I told you. Anything that doesn’t involve leaving the cabin.”

Lester hummed and took another sip of his coffee. He licked his lips and caught Lorne watching him with a somewhat worried expression. “I’m not gonna wander off if that’s what you’re so worried about…” The Omega said softly and looked over to the window. Snow leisurely floated to the ground in thick, fluffy globs. “Weathers’ supposed to be awful this week anyway and I ain’t got a coat.” Lorne just huffed at him before looking back to the movie.

As the two watched the movie, Lester couldn’t help but sympathize with John Harker. Lorne seemed like such an ordinary person; average looks, average weight, average height - just all in all average in every aspect - well mostly. Perhaps that he was why he was so good at his job. He was able to blend into his surrounding with such ease and no would suspect something out of place, at least to those who didn’t know him. Lester stole a glance at the other couch occupant as he thought on the man's brutal abilities. Perhaps Lester wasn’t one to judge him though, what with his circumstances and all. Still, he felt so trapped here in Lorne’s little cabin despite it’s comforting atmosphere.

* * *

 

Before Lorne left, he made sure that Lester had things to entertain himself as well as things he may need to get him by for next three days. Now alone, Lester sat on the couch watching television like he usually did in the morning, only instead of his usual morning coffee he treated himself to a cup of hot cocoa. He flipped through the channels and settled on the news for now. That Alpha woman was on again, talking about a new drug that was going around - some new type of ecstasy pill by the sounds of it.

After the weather report, Lester began growing very bored of sitting around watching T.V. all day. He decided to tidy up the house a bit to keep himself active. He made quick work of the small living room and kitchen, moving on to the bathroom, and then he moved into Lorne’s bedroom.

As he cleaned, a slim closet pushed in the far corner of the room caught his curiosity and he started looking through the various boxes. Most of them just had clothes much to Lester’s disappointment. It didn’t take much longer to find a silver suitcase sitting at the bottom underneath all of the boxes. It seemed out place with it’s modern metallic design in the old worn confines of the wooden closet and under barely holding together cardboard boxes. He unclasped the snaps that held it shut and carefully opened the case to reveal it’s content. He blinked a few times, a confused look masking his face. “Cassette tapes…” Lester murmured as he picked one up. It read: Havard, Steve jr. MI.

Next, Lester noticed the tape player safely surrounded by foam to protect it from moving about in the case. It must be important to Lorne in some way, Lester thought, as this seemed to be the only thing Lorne possessed that seemed well taken care of. He opened it up and saw that a cassette was already inside so he plucked that one out. He nearly dropped the tape in shock as he read its label. His name was scribbled in black sharpie across the sticker of the cassette. “W-What the hell?” He placed Havard’s tape back where he found it and put his own cassette back in. He was scared at what the tape held. With a shaking hand he hit play:

His voice was a bit washed out from the white noise produced by the recording device in the recording, but it was most definitely him on the tape. “P-Please my wife - she’s - oh God -”

Lorne's voice was clearer on the taps then Lester's. “Calm down, Lester.” The soft tone boomed from the recording.

“My w- Pearl, she at-” Lester stopped in fear of relieving that tragic event. His stomach tensed and a sudden wave of nausea rolled over him. “Oh God he recorded me… He…”

Lester made a mad dash to the bathroom and heaved into the toilet. “Fu- ugh.” Lester gasped before his stomach emptied itself into the bowl. The Omega tightly gripped the seat as he threw up again, the force of it causing his chest to constrict with a great deal of pain. He spit into the toilet a few times after that before flushing.

As he sat on the chilled tile floor of the bathroom, he laid his forehead on the cool seat of the toilet, his right hand rested on his stomach as it seemingly spasmed. "I gotta get outta here.” Lester said hoarsely as he stood up on wobbly feet. He staggered back into the bedroom, reluctant to see the tapes again. He opened Lorne’s drawers, pulling out a couple large shirts and sweaters. Lester didn’t have a coat and he didn’t know where town was - or if there even was one close enough to walk to. The more he thought about it the more opposed he became about leaving. He had no coat, he had no idea where he was, he had no warm clothes, the only thing he had were the boots he’d slipped on before leaving with Lorne.

He glanced over at the tapes and shivered. He’d have to put them back in the closet to avoid suspension from Lorne when the Alpha returned. With a heavy sigh, Lester neatly folded up the clothes he took out and then went over to the closet. The tapes laid there, inanimate, but Lester felt like at any moment they’d come alive and attack him.

With a shaky hand Lester pulled out his tape and ran his fingers across the smooth plastic. He didn’t want to keep it in the player; it was incriminating. Lester huffed agitatedly as he looked at it. ‘ _ What should I do with it? _ ’ He thought. He played out scenarios of what could happen if Lorne found out he’d tampered with or destroyed the tape, all scenario's ending with him dead. He knew what Lorne was capable of when he was clear headed and focused but he had no idea what the Alpha would be capable of in an enraged state.

Ultimately Lester opted to just keep the tape where it had been and not risk angering Lorne for messing around with his things.Agitatedly, he leaned back against the false wood paneling of the closet and huffed as tears filled his eyes again. “How did this become my life?” he growled as he sat there.

Trying to compose himself a little, he attempted to encourage himself. He could survive this, he told himself. He survived growing up with people like Sam Hess, he survived being married to Pearl, surely he could survive Lorne too.

Lester stood up and went back into bathroom. He looked into the mirror above the sink, his eyes puffy and swollen from crying, his hair was disheveled; he looked awful. He hoped maybe a shower would make him feel better, make him at least appear more human than he felt.

He slowly undressed himself in a tired daze before getting in the tub and running the shower. Lorne had gotten him some sorta “Just for Omega’s” body wash - which was just a regular body wash but it was marked up and sweet scented. Lester looked at the bottle; it read: sweetpea and violet. Lester sighed tiredly as he lathered the semi-opaque pink soap over his body. Despite the obvious marketing scheme, he enjoyed the smooth aromatic scent it gave off.

As he lathered his body with the soap, he found himself pausing when he reached his lower abdomen. It was taut and swollen looking; bloated, he thought. When he pressed against it carefully he frowned, this somehow felt different to him but he couldn't quite figure out why. He tried to remember when his last menstruation cycle had been. “Aw heck…” He whimpered, his eyes filling with tears again. “Aw geez… No please, God, no.” Surely it couldn't be what he was thinking. Not on top of everything that had just happened to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping to keep chapters a much longer length from now on. There may be some smaller chapters scattered throughout for continuity purposes. If there is an exceptionally small chapter, I would expect either a 2 chapter update at once or at least 2 chapters within the week. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying the revised version so far! I know it hasn't really varied from the original layout except for some small details but bigger changes are coming up and it'll soon feel like a new read. ♥ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much reading!  
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated.


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